James scores 30 points in 23 remarkably efficient minutes as the Lakers steamroll New Orleans, 133-89, in Las Vegas and set up a showdown with Indiana on Saturday for the inaugural NBA Cup.
The signs that LeBron James was going to have a special performance in Thursday’s In-Season Tournament semifinal appeared suddenly.
And the New Orleans Pelicans didn’t find an answer to the James-led onslaught, with the Lakers crushing the Pelicans, 133-89, at T-Mobile Arena to advance to the championship game of the inaugural event on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers.
With the Lakers (14-9) trailing 30-29 after the first period, James opened the second quarter by knocking down a 3-pointer to give the Lakers a lead.
On the Lakers’ next possession, he made another 3-pointer. And then another one to give them a five-point lead. The last two 3-pointers came from the league and tournament logo and sent the pro-Lakers Vegas crowd into a frenzy, followed by a layup one minute later to give James 11 points in the quarter’s first three minutes.
